Thailand Contact
A Great Day! Yes, indeed mate! It was a great day! .... yea, I said "mate". I played golf with a bunch of English yesterday - that's all me or anyone else was called all day!
But it was a great day of golf. Played at St. Andrew's in Thailand. Wonderful course. I'll try to write more about that later.
Phones have not been so good though. I got a new number. To contact me this week, it's:
+
66 (038) 0 1578 5451More later!
Decca office entry with new orange trees and other New Year decorations.
Year of the Dog
This is New Year’s Eve! .. …. And no, this is not a late posting! It is the eve of the Chinese New Year! The Year of the Dog is here!
Overnight trees of small orange type fruits, and bare limbed trees save for decorations of red envelopes, have popped up everywhere. Red lanterns hang from everywhere. Firework strings are in other prominent locations. Flower pots are in great abundance.
I had heard this was a big deal. I’m beginning to see that it is bigger than I even expected. I’m getting worn out from parties. The plant is closing for seven days. Mr. Tsang tells me that it has never closed for so long. That’s a really big deal.
Plants are closing all around. People are already starting to move all over. They all want to go home. Our Hong Kong staff that work at the plant in Thailand are going home, and I’m going there to work in their steed. Okay, I do hope to get a few rounds of golf in too. Nothing much will be open around here, so it is a good thing I am leaving.
I don’t have time to write much about them, but I have posted pictures from the two Decca Chinese New Year parties. One was at the factory, the other in Hong Kong. I’m worn out.
See the pictures at:
Factory Party = http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=abrysoninchina&p=1A55&AID=3201300
Hong Kong =
http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=abrysoninchina&p=1A55&AID=3220740Happy New Year,
Gene
Thai wedding couple pose for photograph with me prior to the reception in Thailand.
A Thai Wedding
The bride wore a white strapless gown. She had pink roses in her hair to accent her complexion. The groom was in a matching white suit of white with . The best man was simply attired in black dinner jacket, a “joker’s shirt, blue jeans and white shoes. Shimmering Thai suits of red and chartreuse were the attire of the fathers of both. The mothers were elegant in similar colors.
What am I doing? …….. I don’t know how to write a wedding review! But I had to try! How often do ya get to go to a wedding in Thailand! I just did!! …… Still can’t believe it! I went to a wedding in Thailand!
There I was with the bride and groom regally dressed in white greeting the guests at the “stadium”! Yes, I said “stadium”! And here was the Governor, Judge, Sheriff, and Police Chief. I even sat with the Mayor of this Thai community.My friend, Tony, the owner of Para World Furniture here in Thailand, invited me to attend the wedding with him on Friday night. He always has a new incredible event for me. This was more than I could have ever expected. The bride was the daughter of one of his suppliers. He greeted us with a distinguished Thai bow; you know, with hands in a prayerful pose in front of one's face as you bow. I could tell he expected me to do the same, and I obliged in a style that I hope did not offend anyone nor looked so bad. The bride's father was in a Thai style red shirt, buttoned to the collar and shimmering of silk. Very distinguished.The wedding was held in what Tony called a “stadium”. But it was more like the old gymtorium in a semi-outdoor setting. It had open sides with a full gym, big stage and concrete floors. The weather was still in the 90’s but with the steady breeze it was pretty comfortable. I was sure glad it wasn’t one of those
hotter nights in Thailand.
The bride and groom were greeting guests outdoors at a special setting. A photographer was getting pictures of most everyone with the new couple as they arrived. A red carpet then led to the “stadium”, lined with huge pictures of the couple in various settings. There was a lot of attention to the photographs, and the photographer seemed intent to get a lot more during this special night.
At least a hundred tables were setup inside, using the standard of Thai restaurants everywhere,
plastic chairs. You see them everywhere. These were a bright red. An organist was playing music on the stage and a host emblazoned in a red coat and white plants started introducing singers for the entertainment. Interestingly, there was seldom any applause. ….. Tough crowd.
Caterers started serving a Chinese dinner as tables filled. There were pork skins for appetizers; spring rolls, pork, soup, and other good delicacies. I strolled through the cooking area early in the evening, and got a good response from the cooks and staff that I showed interests in their cooking. They did serve very well for such a large group. The drinks, including a bottle of Scotch, were left to each table to handle on our own.
It was all like a big party. Balloon vendors rolled through the crowd. Kids played everywhere. The entertainers just kept revolving. Several younger kids, including one very young girl did most of the singing. A dog even rolled in right beside our table at one time….. now that sure surprised me!
We sat with the mayor for a long time. The governor stopped by to see us. The police chief and sheriff all made speeches. (Now why speeches by law enforcement?) A judge evidently confirmed their marriage. He bestowed each with a floral type neckware. The bride and groom each individually declared their love and marriage to the delight of the audience.
They then proceeded through the crowd to speak to everyone in attendance. At each table they bowed and gracefully played to the pleasure of the crowd. They knew how to work the crowd.
After several hours, Tony and I slipped away. I got the chance to speak with the bride and groom, as we left. The groom spoke English and inquired: “Where was I from?” and other questions about me. They were a beautiful couple and were a joy to meet. But better yet, I was at their wedding! WOW! It was great! I went to a wedding in Thailand!
(More photos available at link in right column!)
Wedding gift to all attendees from the Thai couple. The writing is in Thai script.
Regional govenor recognizes the marriage of the couple in Thailand.
The "stadium" for the Thai wedding.
I'm Behind
I am behind! I know = no posting in days! I’m sorry, but I am really behind! Just back from Thailand; I’ve had two Decca parties (finally recovering); visitors from US on site; five model rooms to get out today before Chinese New Year; and I have 70 unread emails on my personal account – much less the others I’ve just scanned at work!
I go to Thailand again on Friday for a week. Internet access there is limited. Phones don’t work well. But it is a great adventure there too! Can’t wait.
I’ll catch up soon! All the best to all,
Gene
Getting to Thailand!
Missed ferry ride, rush to the airport, two hours in customs, crab and crawfish dinner outdoors, and a wedding! Thailand has been another unique experience. On top of it, my phone isn't working, and internet is limited. I will have to go with a short version of the events of the last few days and spend more time on details later.
To say the least, getting to Thailand was not easy. First, remember that we had just had another famous Decca party Wednesday night at the plant. One of the things about getting to know the plant personnel better came back to haunt me at this party: I had to "toast" every table! At least most. I've never "
bottoms up" so many glasses since college!
So when my driver called Thursday morning at 7:30 to say he was downstairs, I was a little more than surprised. My headache was bad enough, but I expected him at 8. Now I had to scurry to get things together to leave for a week! I missed some things! Got my laptop, but forgot my cord! Not much use now! I didn't have my passport either! Not too bad, just a quick stop at the office to get it from my locked desk before heading on to the ferry.
So off to the ferry. On my last trip to Thailand, the ferry connection had worked beautifully. The ferry runs right to the Hong Kong Airport, and you check-in for everything right there. But
nooooo, not this time. I was informed I did
not have an e-ticket this time, and without a real ticket, I could not get through Customs. Much less, I was informed that my passport expires in less than six months, which is less than allowed to go to Thailand. (They later found new info to say it was only a four month limit! Whew!) But now I had to get to the airport!
Calling my driver back we rushed to the border crossing to walk across. Time was tight! I jumped through China customs, and took the shuttle to Hong Kong Customs. As I got off the bus, the line started there! There! This was about 100 yards from the building, snaked twice and still worked like the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean ride that fools you to think you are close when you enter the building, only to find more snaking lines. ..... It took almost two hours. I knew then I was doomed.
I jumped from bus to bus again, hardly knowing if I was on the right one. Then a green taxi to the airport. I arrived at my original departure time. So I got a late flight. All told, it took me over twelve hours to get to my Thailand hotel. A long day!
But more adventure awaited, and was to come! I will tell more about that soon! As soon as I get to a computer and faster services that I can use!
Let’s go to Thailand
I’m off to Thailand again tomorrow. It is a quick trip to check some product issues at our site near Chunberry. I leave on Thursday and return to Hong Kong on Saturday for another Decca party on Sunday. They do love to party! I’m sure there will be more pics soon.
The Sunday party is a special occasion. It’s Chinese New Year season,
The Year of the Dog has arrived! A lot of events are happening, and people are going everywhere. Most ex-pats get out of the area. From what I can tell there will not even be a lot of places open in China. Our plant is closing down for three days starting the 28th, and I’m told there are fewer than 10% of employees here for the following week.
I’m going back to Thailand again to work during the Chinese New Year. Okay, hopefully I’ll catch a round or two of golf with my friend Lucas.
For now, to Thailand on Thursday to Saturday; then to Hong Kong; back to Dongguan on Monday; and return to Thailand on the 28th. I’ve got visitors here for the second straight week, and have more next week! What a month!
There ain’t no…….. Chinese keyboards
I’ve been told there are over 4000 Chinese characters in the Chinese language. You ever wondered how they get all those keys on a keyboard. I remember on a visit to Japan in the 80’s that I saw a typewriter that looked like it belonged in a typesetting room of a newspaper. It was huge. The keys were on row after row. The operator looked like she was playing some huge pipe organ. The Japanese, you see, use very similar characters to the Chinese.
I’ve been told there are 23 or more dialects in China. Whatever the number it is huge. And I do mean dialects, not just accents. I often hear others speak of the difficulty they have in understanding different employees from different regions. The government has mandated Mandarin as the official language, and it is probably getting better than in the past.
I’ve also told many of you the difficulty I have in the fact that I work with Hong Kong management that frequently speaks their native Cantonese, but in day to day business in the factory they speak the official language of Mandarin. I get confused all the time by which I’m hearing, and have on more than one occasion used the wrong translation of one of the few words I know in the wrong place – speaking Mandarin, when I was in a group speaking Cantonese, and vice versa. I say “maywenti” (no problem), but get reprimanded that “no… it’s momenti here”!
But back to the keyboard…… Now this is really cool! The other day I was wondering how they were getting the characters on the keyboard, when it didn’t look any different than mine or yours. So I sat down for a demonstration.
First you have to then know that in 1958, pinyin became officially recognized as the phonetic translation of the Mandarin language. Up until then everyone had to learn all those funny characters, and speaking the language was not necessarily related. But pinyin is phonetic – albeit rather confusing for an American since it is Roman based. This did link all the country into a similar concept and in time, allowed for a unique feature with a computer.
Today, to write in Chinese, all you do is type in pinyin!! It is sooo cool. Okay, you must also use transcription software on your computer to convert from pinyin to Chinese. So type in the pinyin words like: ni hao ma? (How are you?) And you get
: 你好吗？Now isn’t that really cool? And simple!
享用 (Enjoy!)
Cooking lamb in the hot pot with Christine watching.
Lamb Pot
You would have thought we had walked into a big southern fish camp. A big room full of round tables. The tile floor was reverberating to the sounds of the many patrons into a steady hum. Overhead fans were spinning fast to stir the air. But the humidity in the air wasn’t filled with grease and the smell of fish. No it was heavy humidity, but you didn’t smell fish.
This was no fish house. This was the Huanan Sheep Faizen. Roughly translated, it meant we were in a restaurant serving lamb in hot pots. Chris had been asking me if I had partaken of a night of lamb pot. This was my first offering of this type meal. And what a treat. It was certainly a night of good food, good time, with good friends.
A group of eight of us had stolen away from the factory late on a Thursday evening for the night on the town. Xiao Bao was recruited to drive in the new bus. Comfortably seating 20, we had more than enough room for the twenty minute drive to Chanan.
As we pulled up, a large silhouette of a goat was pointed out to me in the restaurant window. It was the most decorative thing about the place. The rest of it was quite barren and sparse. This was a “local’s restaurant”. This was not a regular place for Westerners. I was immediately recognized as being unique in this restaurant. Besides, I was twice the size of most of them.
Ushered to a round table that kept us compact but convenient for conversation, we found a burner with a hose from the gas supply. Soon a large pot was placed on the burner, the soup poured in, and the pot was fired up to start the cooking.
The first thing we all did would have probably made most people walk out, but seems to be a common way here. We washed our dishes! Yes, these were the dishes that had been served to our table, and hot tea had just been poured into cups. But my friends I was accompanying all reacted in same manner, and immediately started pouring the hot tea into the different cups, spoons, and saucers to just clean the items a little more thoroughly. I had only seen this on a couple of other occasions. It seems to be a standard reaction by most to be a little more “safe” about the cleanliness of the utensils. We then just poured the used tea under the hot pot to increase the steam in the room. And got a new cup of tea!
Beer and Chinese sweet wine were delivered as Ms. Fung and Xiao Pan ordered the food items for the night. Even before they had finished, vegetables were being delivered by the wait staff, and Vicky was adding to the pot. Everyone seemed to know exactly how to cook and with little disagreement, kept adding and each did their part to keep the foods mixed and cooking properly.
We had bones from legs, sausage, and dumplings, as good as I’ve ever had. The vegetables ran the gamut of being great to tasting more “like paper”. Oh well, some were good. A fried rice was served separately from a ceramic bowl. The waitress showed off how it had the crusted rice in the base of the bowl, to everyone’s enjoyment. It seems this is highly recognized as being the best and most proper way to do rice. The crusted rice was a little crusty and tasted great too!
The lamb was delivered cut in thin strips and took some special cooking. I was shown that you had to take a type of ladle and hold the lamb in the broth for just a few minutes to cook it properly. Turning with your chop sticks was encouraged to evenly cook the lamb. It tasted fantastic!
There were plenty of the obligatory toasts with the beer and wine. It all added to the wonderful, relaxed ambience of this casual and comfortable dinner. Nothing like a good dinner to make for another wonderful night.
Photos of Lamb Pot Dinner available from link on right! Enjoy!
Leg bones added to the hot pot!
Paco, Sara, Xiao Pan, and Ms. Fung cooking and enjoying Lamb Pot.
Nothing like a good fish head for dinner! See all my pictures of our dinner at the Takemura at Haiyatt from link on right.
There ain't no Fortune Cookies!!
There ain’t no ……. Fortune Cookies!! Nope! None! Nada! Not the first one!
Yep, believe it or not, I haven’t seen the first fortune cookie since I came here! Before I left the States, I kept getting told I would get fat on fortune cookies after every meal. Well, folks, it sure ain’t happening from fortune cookies! (Nor from fish heads for that matter.) Because, there ain’t no Fortune Cookies!
That little treat at the end of a meal is a specialty of the United States. Here they usually serve fruit as a desert after a meal. Yes, those little gems of wisdom may be mentioned from time to time, but you don’t see anyone pulling little strips from their food to read their future!
Wilkipedia.org says that fortune cookies are served almost exclusively in North American Chinese restaurants. “Seldom is it found in China.” But get this, it does say you might find “Genuine American Fortune Cookies" in China!! How bout them cookies!
Glass exterior of the Dongguan Cultural Center (sorry, but I was not able to take my good camera to the center.)
Violins and the Rose Bowl
Turning the corner, cutting hard around the outside, just past the first violin, and there were the roses! What a night! Hands so fast and quick, conducting all with ease, comfort, and a deliberate command of his team.
No, I don’t mean Vince Young. It was Dimitri (or whatever his name was), a great conductor. He was conducting the Russian National Orchestra. And I was at the new Dongguan Cultural Center. Beautiful place, albeit still a little Chinese in style and function. But here I was center balcony listening to
Romeo & Juliet and Bach and Beethoven in China! What an amazing world.
Tony had pointed out the construction of this building about six months ago as being a new center for culture and arts in the efforts of Dongguan to be more than just an industrial center. He referred to it as an Opera House. Well, here we were during the Grand Opening festivities. Tony got tickets for about 20 of us to see the Russian National Orchestra on the first Thursday.
The building is spectacular. Very nice white rounded steel and glass. The white marble steps inside wind up along the outer glass walls to each level. Inside you are met by deep rich wood. Wood everywhere, even the floor. Okay, it might have been better if the floor was not wood. It was a little slick for walking up the steep steps and added a little unneeded extra bounce to the acoustics. I was impressed with how each row and each seat had a lighted number in the floor. And each wood rimmed seat had the number individually monogrammed neatly into the upper left corner of each back. Pretty impressive.
The neatly dressed attendants ushered us to our seats. The place was huge. A recent article listed it as one of the biggest in China with 1600 seats. Our seats were in the wide balcony. As the second set started, Masha, to my right mentioned it was Bach. I was impressed by her knowledge. We didn’t have programs. As the next started, her and Ms. Fung to my left both simultaneously said “
Romeo & Juliet”. Huh? How did they do that? Suddenly I realized what was going on. Above the stage was a wide electronic bulletin screen. It was posting the next song at the start of each. Of course, these were in Chinese characters. I just figured it was an announcement to be quiet. …. Now I knew better. This was how they knew each new song. A simple program might have been nicer though
The orchestra was great. They did a wonderful mix of music. They first performed some very Russian tunes to let you know their heritage. The over 40 string instruments were strong. Then they threw in four traditional, popular Chinese songs to the delight of the crowd. The conductor did get presented with two beautiful bouquets of roses.
After the two-hour affair, our group then made its way to the Green Restaurant for a late night snack. I was torn on joining them, but opted to go to the bar to catch the replay of the Rose Bowl. Richard and I had stayed tune to the game over the internet radio and gamecast during the morning hours here. But we were at lunch during the fourth quarter, and missed that exciting period. But I made it to The Thirsty Dog after the orchestra just in time to catch the ESPN replay of the fourth! What a game!
I got to see the Russian National Orchestra get roses, and then saw Vince Young’s run for the Roses! Congratulations Longhorns!
Masha and Christine at the base of the marble stairway inside the Dongguan Cultural Center.
Something I never thought I would see: This is the matre'd at the ...... PIZZA HUT! Yes, I said Pizza Hut, of Dongguan. (Remember there are a lot of people here!)
I Got Mail
It worked! I got mail! Yes, after seven months, I actually got my first letter delivered to my address in my Dahlingshan factory! My good friends, the McDermotts sent me a Christmas card via air mail on December 21, and I got it here on January 4. Not bad, particularly considering the China Post Office had to translate the address from English to Chinese. Very nice card from the McDermotts too! Thanks!
The "There Ain't No" Series
I got to thinking about several misconceptions I had or realize others of you have about my life here in China. I concluded it was time to write an infrequent series of articles about those differences: the “
In China, there ain’t no” series. Sorry, it’s not correct English, but I am a Southerner. It will focus on those things that are misconceptions about things expected to be found here in China, or things that are not here that is usually taken for granted in other parts of the world.
There Ain't No Privacy
The first point is “
In China, There ain’t no privacy!” In the States, we all know that in the last couple of years, we had to sign form after form for privacy. That was probably the first we really began to understand our rights in this regard. It spawned efforts by stores, offices, and the like, to suddenly make our transactions private from others. Partitions sprung up between counters in pharmacies. Muszak, the elevator music company found a burgeoning business in background music to mask transactions in medical facilities where the walls were too thin.
Well, here in China, there ain’t no privacy! (And I’m only talking about daily activities – not government related points.) There isn’t much privacy at all. As I’ve said before, the massive population means so much to everything, and that includes privacy. When you throw this many people in to the limited space here, there isn’t much room for privacy. Just think about 40 million people in an area the size of North Carolina. That’s just a bunch of folks!
Second, the Chinese accept not having privacy. They all just huddle and work in close environments without care or consideration. I think they are just so used to growing up in crowded homes, that they don’t expect privacy. My doctor’s office has eight nurses huddled at a long counter at the entry. They act as receptionists and nurse for individual doctors. But this counter is about 15 feet long. They don’t have but about two feet per person!
I share an office with three people on a regular basis, and two others that come in for a day or two each week. That’s an office smaller than the one I had in Mocksville. And yet here I share this one with 3 to 5 people. And just outside my office door is a space for our general factory staff of clerks, assistants, phone receptionists, CAD operators, etc. There are about 24 people in a small office. I can hardly walk between the aisles.
But most surprising, these folks just don’t even give ya much privacy. Go in any store, office, bank, or whatever, and almost always there will be someone show up to look over your shoulder (although rarely is anyone here tall enough to look over mine) or nudge his way in to see what you are doing. And I don’t mean discreetly. I mean folks that just push their way up beside you and stare at your paperwork. This can be while you are paying a clerk or at a doctor’s office where you are looking at your medical records.
Their curiosity pervades over privacy. I am constantly amazed at how when I stop to discuss an issue in the plant, that suddenly other workers nearby just stop and wander right up to see what is going on. They don’t even understand my English! But here they are snooping right in your face to see what is going on.
It all can get more than a little disconcerting. You do get a little used to the fact that there is no privacy…. Not that I enjoy it anymore though. On the contrary, it is one of the most irritating things here. But for most Chinese, they just ignore and accept. I’m not there. Give me some privacy!
Confetti and balloons welcome in 2006 at The Hollywood Baby.
New Year's Eve in Dongguan
I’m told the really big New Year Eve is yet to come. This was more like a warm up. Wow! I don’t know if I can take all this partying again. New Year’s Eve was another strong night of fun and entertainment. The restaurants and bars got right into the act of things, much like a night in the States.
We started at the Chino Latino in Dongguan City. Yeah, that really is a Mexican/Italian restaurant. Not bad either. A dark stairway from the entry leads up to a very plush setting. I found out later that this restaurant and bar used to be a special club. I could just envision the dining area having been a smoking room of a swank private men’s club: dark, wood paneling, deep chairs, all the accoutrements.
On this night, I was with Lucas and a bunch of his friends: Claudia, Andrew, Peter and Lucy, Helen and Richard, and Marta and Tony. Only, we ordered too many lasagna dishes for the kitchen. Baking seven dishes caused a backup in the kitchen that left us wondering if we would get our meal before the New Year. The meals did arrive, and were great. It’s nice to find another good restaurant in town.
Afterward the guys split up for a dart tournament. The Chino Latino is becoming quite the place for darts. And since most of these guys were English, they were quick to get into the competition. Peter and Lucas won a bottle of bubbly that thrilled Claudia and Lucy. It was just perfect for the upcoming midnight hour.
One of the more interesting things ever seen here was then observed next door. It was actually still part of the Chino, but in a separate section. What had formerly been a disco lounge was now hosting a Singles New Year’s Eve Party. It was nothing any singles party I had ever been to. A guy with sunglasses, scarf, t-shirt, and even wilder hair was emceeing and orchestrating couples together up under bright lights. Then they threw in a fashion show of models that looked like they were ready for a wedding. Very different.
Most of us soon made it on over to the Hollywood Baby for that last turn of the clock. We weren’t alone. The place was packed with Westerners and a sprinkling of locals. And I do mean packed. The band was in rare form, and everyone was certainly in a great mood. At midnight, Jason, one of the tallest Westerners around took over the “Dick Clark” duties. It was easy for him, since he didn’t need a stage to see over everyone – even me.
It got a little raucous and crazy then. There were some charity auctions of different guests there for the party. Everyone was just too happy to care much about what was going on.
Most of us made it on over to the Woodstock, followed by early morning at The Thirsty Dog. Those bars were much quieter, and our group pretty much took over the pool tables wherever we went. Play extended into the wee hours of the New Year. Everyone was just happy to be ringing in 2006.
The Hollywood Baby band.
Claudia and Lucas take on Andrew at foosball at Woodstock.
Mitchell lines up a shot at The Thirsty Dog.
